‘One of the highest of the high injury network’: The effort to improve Ames Avenue

The city says it's turning the part of Ames that goes from Fontenelle Boulevard to North 16th Street into three lanes instead of four beginning in July.

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OMAHA, Neb. —

The city calls it one of the most dangerous stretches of road. It’s working to make improvements to Ames Avenue, and it wants your input.

Every day, Stephanie Finklea takes Ames Avenue as part of her commute.

“Being able to ride my bike to the grocery store and things like that is something that’s really important to me, and I just haven’t felt comfortable doing that on Ames Street,” Finklea said.

And her concerns aren’t coming out of nowhere. The city said over an eight-year stretch from 2017 to 2024, there were 2,500 crashes on Ames Avenue. Nine hundred of those resulted in injuries, and six were deadly.

Omaha’s Vision Zero uses the term ‘high injury network’ to describe streets that, based on data, have a lot of serious and deadly crashes.

“Of that high injury network, Ames Avenue is actually a priority corridor. So that means that it’s one of the highest of the high injury network,” said Heather Tippey Pierce, the general services manager for public works.

It’s part of why the city says it’s turning the part of Ames that goes from Fontenelle Boulevard to North 16th Street into three lanes instead of four beginning in July.

“There’ll be one dedicated lane in each direction, and the center turn lane at the various access points along that portion of the corridor,” Tippey Pierce said.

There will also be new asphalt and striping.

“We also have an ongoing study for the longer term on Ames Avenue, and that’s for the whole corridor,” Tippey Pierce said.

At Thursday night’s meeting, people had the chance to give their input on future changes to Ames Avenue.

“And so, folks can give us an indication of do they prefer a right turn lane, or do they prefer a roundabout,” Tippey Pierce said.

You can give your input here.

Finklea said she’s grateful for the opportunity to have her voice heard.

“Someone who actively participates in using it is going to have more insight into what it needs to look like and how it needs to be safer than someone who doesn’t,” she said.

Some other ideas from the city include new bike lanes and high-visibility crosswalks.